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2014 ROUTE 66 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL UPDATES – DATELINE KINGMAN

Well, if the first full day of the 2014 Route 66 International Festival is any indication, Saturday will most likely be one for the record books. Okay, before we get to details a quick apology is most definitely in order.

Situations at work coupled with a pressing family issue resulted in our having to forgo participation in the festival for most of the day and this evening. So, most of my information about the days festival activities are of the second hand nature.

To Jerry Asher, Tudor Melville, Roderick Wilde, and our visitors from the electric vehicle community, thank you for tonight’s invitation. Perhaps tomorrow I can meet with you at the Powerhouse and peruse the historic electric vehicle exposition.

George and Bonnie, Dries and Marion, and to all the others who issued my dearest friend and I dinner invitations this evening, thank you. May I suggest that on Saturday evening we gather the largest group of Route 66 enthusiasts possible, find a place for dinner, and then listen to the Road Crew under a starlit sky in Locomotive Park?

The first steps in transforming the Route 66 corridor into a walk of fame.

Next, for those who stopped by the exhibition center today, as promised, I will be there from 10:30 to at least 1:30 on Saturday to answer questions or sign books. I will also lead the approximate one hour historic district tour, with a close out stop for ice cream, that was promised for this evening. The tour leaves promptly at 5:00 from the Beale Celebrations event center

To make up for Friday evening, if there is interest, I will lead another on Sunday morning. If that is of interest please notify me on Saturday.

Highlights of the tour include the church where Clark Gable and Carol Lombard were married, the historic jail, sites associated with Buster Keaton, Amelia Earhart, and Charles Lindbergh, and commentary on local history. In some instances vintage photos will be used to provide a then and now perspective.

Okay, lets review the highlights of the day. Lets start with the unprecedented conference that was broadcast live from throughout the world. Well, on the festival Facebook page the indication is that the link for the Youtube channel reached 2,940 people.

When you consider the fact that many viewers were international, this is quite amazing. Needless to say, this leaves me quite excited about the long term ramifications of the conference and eager to assist the City of Edwardsville in taking this idea to the next level.

Tomorrow, Saturday, is the second day of the unprecedented conference. For those interested in following the proceedings, here is the link. This is the link for the archive with todays broadcast.

Locomotive Park was a veritable beehive of activity that stretched into the evening with music by the Road Crew and Jess McEntire. The historic electric vehicle exposition that has garnered international attention opened in the Powerhouse Visitor Center. Sponsored by the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation, this unique exhibit is truly one of a kind.

Participants at the authors, artists, collectors, and Route 66 association exhibition in the Beale Celebrations center were rather surprised by the throng of visitors. Usually Friday’s are relatively subdued but if this is any indicator, I am rather confident that Saturday will be a packed house.

Can anyone identify these miscreants?

The last minute change of venue for the film festival didn’t seem to dampen enthusiasm. A full slate for Saturday ensures another banner day.

Now, its a bit early to ask but if you are a visitor, what is your impression of Kingman?

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Jim Hinckley's America is a grand adventure on the back roads and two lane highways. It is an odyssey seasoned with fascinating people, and memory making discoveries. As made evident by the publication of fourteen books on subjects as diverse as diverse as Ghost Towns of the Southwest, The Illustrated History of the Checker Cab Manufacturing Company, Travel Route 66, Backroads of Arizona, and The Route 66 Encyclopedia, I enjoy sharing adventures and helping people plan for their own memory making journeys.